1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to image processing methods and image processing apparatuses for registering additional information of image information, and in particular to a data matching method when information is registered. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method for registering information in a medical image database of a medical network system.
2. Description of the Related Art
The recent advent of digital X-ray apparatuses has promoted the recording of X-ray images in computers as digital data. Typical digitized image data has additional information such as patient information and examination information. A database system for managing images based on these items of information has also been developed. More specifically, a new diagnostic imaging workflow is realized, where the database is searched for a patient image based on additional information of the patient image, such as a patient ID, and the patient image is displayed on a cathode ray tube (CRT) or a liquid crystal display for diagnosis.
A general medical image database system called the Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) includes an image generation apparatus (modality), a file server, a database, etc., in which these components are interconnected via a network. The modality generates a medical digital image and assigns the generated medical digital image additional information, such as patient information and examination information, in accordance with the Digital Image Communication in Medicine (DICOM) standard as an image header. The generated image data is transferred via the network and saved in the file server, and the information in the image header is registered in the database.
In such a medical image database system, a plurality of images can have the same information, such as the patient name and patient ID, in the image headers. More specifically, if a patient with a patient ID “001” is examined on different days, the same patient ID and patient name are assigned to the headers of the images generated on those days. These images are registered in the database as examination data with the patient ID “001”. In other words, the information in the image headers registered in the database is identified according to the patient.
In such a system, however, an operator's typing error can cause incorrect information to be registered if the system is not structured to only accept correct information.
Say that a patient name “Taro Yamada” is registered for the first radiographic examination of a patient. If “Yamada” is registered as the patient name for the second radiographic examination of the same patient, the patient name is changed from “Taro Yamada” to “Yamada” in the system, if the system allows patient names to be overwritten. This is problematic in that a search for images of the patient with a patient name “Taro Yamada” fails.
In order to overcome this problem, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-187381 describes a system for informing the user of any change in data registered in the database. In short, the user can recognize changed information in the database.
The method described in the Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-187381, however, identifies data in the database by IDs, and is not capable of preventing incorrect data from being registered in the database, if the operator enters an incorrect ID.
Now, say that “Hanako Yamada” with a patient ID “15234” was examined in August 2003, and the patient information of “Hanako Yamada” was registered in the database. Furthermore, it is presumed that when “Taro Yamada” with a patient ID “12345” is examined in September 2003, he is mistakenly registered with a patient ID “15234”. In short, the patient ID “15234” is registered as additional information of “Taro Yamada”. Under this presumption, the information of the images acquired for “Taro Yamada” in September 2003 is registered in the database as information about “Hanako Yamada” with the patient ID “15234”. As a result, a search for an image acquired in September 2003 with a patient name “Taro Yamada” and a patient ID “12345” for diagnostic imaging fails.